Many people have cancer cells within their bodies without actually developing the disease. On occasion, microscopic colonies of cancer cells may develop that are called in situ tumors. Still, these remain disease free. In fact, very few of these situations result in the development of disease.
So, if a large percentage of people have cancer cells, why do only a tiny percentage develop fatal cancers? This is because the cancer cells in most people are dormant and need additional information and energy to continue to grow and become malignant tumors. It begins with our blood vessels.
Some diseases emerge because blood vessels become ‘out of control’
Here’s an amazing fact: your blood vessels are over 60,000 miles long. That’s long enough to encircle the earth twice. Most of these vessels are developed while a fetus is still in the womb. Under normal circumstances, the blood vessels in adults are largely unchanged, except for wound healing and tissue repair.
However, there are some times when blood vessels grow in women, such as during pregnancy when blood vessels form the placenta.
During the formation of new blood vessels, such as when a wound in healing, the body releases proteins called angiogenic factors. They help stimulate new growth. The size and number of these new blood vessels are according to a set standard, and their growth won’t become out of control. When the body does not need certain blood vessels, it releases natural angiogenesis inhibitors that keep the growth under check.
However, if this process goes awry, it can result in excess blood vessels, an imbalance of angiogenesis, and disease.
Dozens of major diseases are associated with angiogenesis imbalance, including atherosclerosis, diabetic retinopathy, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration, psoriasis, chronic inflammation, and even cancer.
Cancer cells need blood vessels for nutrients to grow into lethal tumors
Angiogenesis plays a critical role in the growth of cancer.
A tumor needs a blood supply to grow larger than just a few millimeters. Cancer cells can release angiogenic factors to create their own blood supply; they can also stimulate nearby normal cells to produce angiogenic factors, thus directing blood vessels to themselves.
The resulting new blood vessels will provide a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to the growing tumor, enabling its growth. The cancer cells then invade nearby tissues, move to different parts of the body, and form new colonies of cancer cells, which is called tumor metastasis.
Without a consistent supply of blood, tumors can’t grow beyond a certain size. Therefore, scientists have developed a class of drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors that can block tumor angiogenesis. The goal of these drugs is to prevent or slow down the development of cancer by preventing the growth of blood vessels that support the tumor and cutting off the blood supply to the tumor.
Anti-angiogenic therapy is one effective treatment for cancer. However, angiogenesis inhibitors work by slowing or stopping the growth of tumors, not by destroying cancer cells. Current research suggests that angiogenesis inhibitors appear to be most effective when combined with other therapies, such as conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This is one type of cancer therapy that is destined to be investigated further.
Foods that can fight angiogenesis and starve cancer cells to death
Will severing the blood vessels around a tumor cut off cancer’s supply of nutrients and starve the cancer cells to death?
In one respect, preventing angiogenesis imbalance can help prevent an array of diseases including cancer. Scientists believe that using a combination of compounds to disrupt angiogenesis imbalance to prevent cancer is a feasible approach to fighting cancer.
Many foods we eat are rich in anti-angiogenic factors. Adding them to our diets is convenient and easy, and they do not have the side effects of drugs. Let’s take a look at them.
Polyphenol nutrients
Quercetin: Quercetin is from the flavonoid family of polyphenols and is found in some fruits and vegetables such as onions, broccoli, apples, and berries, as well as in olive oil, grapes, and tea. Quercetin affects endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. As an anti-angiogenic compound, it has a targeted effect on tumor angiogenesis in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. It has also been demonstrated in animal experiments that quercetin can reduce angiogenesis.
Myricetin: Myricetin is also a flavanol found in many plants including onions, berries, and herbs. The biological activities of myricetin include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects. It is also an angiogenesis inhibitor, and its effects have been demonstrated in different types of cancer.
Some studies treated human ovarian cancer cells with different concentrations of myricetin and then carried out tissue culture and observation. They found that myricetin could effectively block the angiogenesis induced by ovarian cancer cells.
Other studies are investigating two other compounds in the flavonoid family of polyphenols: kaempferol and fisetin. These two substances also exhibit properties related to cancer chemoprevention and are potent angiogenesis inhibitors.
Hydroxytyrosol: Hydroxytyrosol is a phenolic compound present in virgin olive oil and one of the main active components of virgin olive oil. It is a natural angiogenesis inhibitor. Animal experiments have shown that hydroxytyrosol could practically inhibit and disrupt angiogenesis outside the cells.
Genistein: In the isoflavone family of polyphenols, genistein is a representative substance. It is one of the main isoflavones of soybean. Genistein has been proven to inhibit the growth of different types of cancer in vitro and in vivo, and anti-angiogenesis is one of its many anti-cancer properties. Genistein combined with arsenic trioxide can effectively inhibit the angiogenesis and development of human liver malignant tumors.
Green tea polyphenols: Regular consumption of green tea can reduce the risk of certain cancers. Green tea polyphenols have chemopreventive and anti-angiogenic properties, and the catechins in green tea polyphenols show very strong anti-angiogenic properties.
Anthraquinone nutrients
Emodin: Emodin is an anthraquinone that exists naturally in rhubarb. It has shown anticancer activity against different types of human cancer cells in many in vitro and in vivo experiments.
Some researchers in Japan treated umbilical vein endothelial cells with emodin. The tissue culture results showed that in comparison with the control group, emodin had significantly inhibited angiogenesis outside these cells, and its inhibitory effect was enhanced with increasing emodin concentration.
Aloe-emodin: It is also an anthraquinone existing in aloe vera leaves. Aloe-emodin has also been shown to have anti-angiogenic potential.
These natural angiogenesis inhibitors are among our readily available ingredients. Regular consumption of these foods helps cut off the nutrient supply to cancer cells and “starve” them to death before they have a chance to develop into tumors.
Terpene nutrients
Terpenes are present in many fruits and vegetables, and their representative anticancer components are ursolic acid and cafestol.
Ursolic acid: Ursolic acid is present in the leaves of several edible spice plants, including rosemary, lemon balm, verbena, oregano, and sage. Some fruits, such as apples and cranberries, also contain ursolic acid.
Ursolic acid has a variety of biological activities, and its anti-angiogenic properties have also been demonstrated. It can inhibit the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and its inhibitory effect is enhanced with the increase of ursolic acid concentration.
Cafestol and kahweol: Cafestol and kahweol, found in coffee beans and unfiltered coffee, have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Experiments have also shown that cafestol can interfere with the formation of extracellular blood vessels of umbilical vein endothelial cells, and its efficacy became stronger with the increase of cafestol concentration.